Never heard of that, I just ordered it. I will report back once I get it and do the test.Have you tried…
Stain ID Kit | Jacks Magic
jacksmagic.com
It is metal staining or black algae.
You say it is growing so it is something active in your pool.
Black stains just keep getting worse
- Thread starter Rich G
- Start date
Okay, so I got the kit and tried it todayHave you tried…
Stain ID Kit | Jacks Magic
It is metal staining or black algae.
You say it is growing so it is something active in your pool.
Both Stain Solution #2 and Stain Solution #3 & Stain Solution #2 seemed to remove the stain, not sure which one was more effective but since #2 did it by itself I’m gonna assume it was was made it work which makes me think you were correct on your copper diagnosis.
Attachments
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,990
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Copper in Pool Water - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
The best thing to do is use sulfamic acid to lift the copper from the surfaces, then drain the pool, and fill with metal free water.
Don't drain unless you can verify that it is safe to do without floating the pool.
I live next to a canal and have well water. I would think the canal water is lower because it’s usually empty, it’s primarily for drainage
Looks like sulfamic will work.
After treatment dilute as much as possible.
Maybe do a continuous water replacement vs. a full drain for safety.
After treatment dilute as much as possible.
Maybe do a continuous water replacement vs. a full drain for safety.
So Jacks #2 appears to say that the copper can be filter out using its sequestrant(purple stuff) and my cartridge filter with (filter fiber stuff).Copper in Pool Water - Further Reading
The best thing to do is use sulfamic acid to lift the copper from the surfaces, then drain the pool, and fill with metal free water.
do you think it’s worth trying that?
It can catch some, but hard to say how much.
I doubt that it will work well, but it's up to you.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,990
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Do the No Drain Water Exchange if you want to be safe. Flush as much copper as you can out of the pool.
www.troublefreepool.com
Draining - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
So I’ve been fighting these stains for a very long time. My old post is here
www.troublefreepool.com
i have always maintained the chemicals properly but for whatever reason I have these stains. I am also now starting to get stains on the bottom of the pool. Needless to say, I have had no success removing them. I thought they were copper so I did the jacks magic and while they seemed to lighten up in some areas they were relatively untouched.
I am on vacation this week so I decided to try draining and acid washing and still they are pretty untouched. I have no clue what to do now. I feel like my only option is replaster.
Any thoughts?
Black stains just keep getting worse
Have you tried… https://jacksmagic.com/product/stain-id-kit/ It is metal staining or black algae. You say it is growing so it is something active in your pool. Never heard of that, I just ordered it. I will report back once I get it and do the test.
www.troublefreepool.com
i have always maintained the chemicals properly but for whatever reason I have these stains. I am also now starting to get stains on the bottom of the pool. Needless to say, I have had no success removing them. I thought they were copper so I did the jacks magic and while they seemed to lighten up in some areas they were relatively untouched.
I am on vacation this week so I decided to try draining and acid washing and still they are pretty untouched. I have no clue what to do now. I feel like my only option is replaster.
Any thoughts?
Attachments
- Jun 22, 2014
- 48,209
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Wow. Well, best to keep this all together in one thread since you have quite a bit of history and @JamesW assisted several times. Now that you've done a drain and new fill, let's see what he has to say.
I can't tell what that is.
If sulfamic acid won't touch it, I don't know what else you could do.
If sulfamic acid won't touch it, I don't know what else you could do.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 48,209
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Going back to post #36, it looks like you initially had success when you sprinkled some product directly on the stained areas. Maybe it was a Trichlor-based granular shock? Even Cal-Hypo can mimic the same direct chlorinating effect on an organic stain which could be something organic embedded into the plaster. As such, a normal shock/SLAM FC level may not help much.
Later you mentioned that testing "appeared" to confirm copper, yet neither dry acid or any other copper removing products seemed to do anything. So I would go back to what worked early on - granular based chlorine spread over the stained area and allowed to sit for a few minutes. See if there is any improvement. After all the testing, acid washing, and various metals testing, if you still see no improvements, it may have something to do with the plaster itself which took a few years to become visible. This is a tough case.
Later you mentioned that testing "appeared" to confirm copper, yet neither dry acid or any other copper removing products seemed to do anything. So I would go back to what worked early on - granular based chlorine spread over the stained area and allowed to sit for a few minutes. See if there is any improvement. After all the testing, acid washing, and various metals testing, if you still see no improvements, it may have something to do with the plaster itself which took a few years to become visible. This is a tough case.
Thanks. The only reason I created a new threads is when I tried to reply to the old one the forum told me to create a new one instead. I agree it makes sense to keep the history.
Thanks!
Going back to post #36, it looks like you initially had success when you sprinkled some product directly on the stained areas. Maybe it was a Trichlor-based granular shock? Even Cal-Hypo can mimic the same direct chlorinating effect on an organic stain which could be something organic embedded into the plaster. As such, a normal shock/SLAM FC level may not help much.
Later you mentioned that testing "appeared" to confirm copper, yet neither dry acid or any other copper removing products seemed to do anything. So I would go back to what worked early on - granular based chlorine spread over the stained area and allowed to sit for a few minutes. See if there is any improvement. After all the testing, acid washing, and various metals testing, if you still see no improvements, it may have something to do with the plaster itself which took a few years to become visible. This is a tough case.
Thanks. This is what I bought that made it at least temporarily disappear. You let it sit on the stain overnight and then rinse away in the morning
Black Algae Out
www.ecopoolchemicals.com
Everything else, including the stain test kit from jacks was confirmation bias at best.. I think I convinced myself it worked but honestly I a cant say with certainty. I tried getting before/after pictures but certain angles and light conditions made it really hard. Regardless.. I thought acid washing was the end all and that doesn't even touch it.
I have always suspected its actually in the plaster, or something coming from underneath but I cant really tell.
I have a local pool builder coming by today to take a look. Hoping for a miracle here
The black out stuff is just trichlor (crushed up chlorine puck). Which points to algae being the issue. You’re earlier posts said something about you being concerned about the chlorine being too high? The posts I saw didn’t look very high, but maybe I missed some. Got any recent water test results and recent test history?Thanks. The only reason I created a new threads is when I tried to reply to the old one the forum told me to create a new one instead. I agree it makes sense to keep the history.
Thanks!
Thanks. This is what I bought that made it at least temporarily disappear. You let it sit on the stain overnight and then rinse away in the morning
Its literally the only thing that I could say with confidence took the stain away, but it came back not long after.Black Algae Out
Everything else, including the stain test kit from jacks was confirmation bias at best.. I think I convinced myself it worked but honestly I a cant say with certainty. I tried getting before/after pictures but certain angles and light conditions made it really hard. Regardless.. I thought acid washing was the end all and that doesn't even touch it.
I have always suspected its actually in the plaster, or something coming from underneath but I cant really tell.
I have a local pool builder coming by today to take a look. Hoping for a miracle here
I have always kept my chlorine between 3-5 with my SWG (which recently broke)... I cant explain why the trichlor temporarily made it go away but if I scrub the stain with a chlorine tablet it doesn't phase it.
I check my water weekly, and the last few weeks have had weird chlorine results due to the jack magics treatment but up until the treatment it was 3-5 routinely.. maybe once in a blue moon it would go slightly higher or lower but never drastically
there’s where I see the issue. If your CYA is still 80ppm, your chlorine level should never be allowed to drop below 4 (or 6ppm if the SWCG is broken) and should spend most of its time hovering around 11ppm or else you can see algae. Have you been following this chart?
The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship
Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.
www.troublefreepool.com
If you have any records of water tests over time, I bet it’ll help nail down what’s going on.
did those values change? I have this in my notes that I keep with my test kit.. I could swore I originally got it from this site (See the picture).there’s where I see the issue. If your CYA is still 80ppm, your chlorine level should never be allowed to drop below 4 (or 6ppm if the SWCG is broken) and should spend most of its time hovering around 11ppm or else you can see algae. Have you been following this chart?
The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship
Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.
If you have any records of water tests over time, I bet it’ll help nail down what’s going on.
also, ive been playing a bunch this morning, even gone as far as pouring straight acid and chlorine on this spot and nothing.
as far as trending, no I didn’t keep a log but I tried to keep the levels within what’s listed on that paper. Obviously there were times when the chlorine would go higher or lower as I needed to adjust my SWG but those were my targets.
